Empire alum Malik Yoba has booked a heavily recurring role opposite Maggie Q on Designated Survivor, ABC’s upcoming thriller drama series starring Kiefer Sutherland.
Yoba will appear in seven episodes as Jason Atwood, the seasoned Deputy Director of the FBI. He’s a mentor, boss and occasional sparring partner for Hannah Wells (Maggie Q) as she conducts her investigation into who blew up the Capitol Building, which claimed nearly the entirety of the U.S. government.
In Designated Survivor, Tom Kirkman (Sutherland), a lower-level Cabinet member, unexpectedly becomes president after a devastating attack on Washington. He will struggle to prevent the country and his own family from falling into chaos, as he is thrust into one of the most difficult presidencies in history.
In addition to Sutherland and Maggie Q, the series stars Natascha McElhone, Kal Penn, Adan Canto, Italia Ricci, LaMonica Garrett and Tanner Buchanan.
Yoba’s recent credits a co-starring role on Empire, along with Limitless, Blue Bloods and The Good Wife as well as the upcoming feature film My B.F.F. He is also currently the host of Justice by Any Means for TV One. Yoba is represented by Innovative Artists and Kieran Maguire at The Arlook Group.
Designated Survivor hails from The Mark Gordon Company and ABC Studios. David Guggenheim is creator and executive producer. In addition to Guggenheim, the series is executive produced by Simon Kinberg, Kiefer Sutherland, Mark Gordon, Nick Pepper, Suzan Bymel, and Aditya Sood. Paul McGuigan directed the pilot episode, and Jon Feldman serves as showrunner on the series. Entertainment One (eOne) is handling international rights.
Jacqueline Sacerio will oversee the project for The Mark Gordon Company.
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